Strong summer ahead for Sarajevo with new routes and visa waiver boost

Sarajevo Airport is on track to maintain record growth throughout the rest of the summer season. This surge is being driven primarily by Ryanair, which has launched five new routes and increased frequencies on services introduced last year when it began operations to Bosnia and Herzegovina’s capital. Nearly all other airlines serving Sarajevo have also boosted their frequencies or capacity. Alongside Ryanair, the fastest-growing carriers at the airport this year include Pegasus Airlines, Turkish Airlines, Wizz Air, Norwegian and AJet.

Projected capacity growth at Sarajevo Airport by month, summer 2025

Sarajevo Airport has recently experienced a wave of new route announcements from the Gulf region, aligning with the government’s decision to lift visa requirements for citizens of Saudi Arabia, Oman, and Bahrain between June 1 and September 30. The visa-free entry, allowing stays of up to thirty days, is aimed at boosting tourism. However, despite this positive development, two major Gulf carriers are reducing their presence in Sarajevo this year. Air Arabia has fully exited the market after years of operating flights from Sharjah and Abu Dhabi, while Qatar Airways has scaled back its seasonal summer operations.

Sarajevo Airport continues to work on expanding its route network, with high-priority targets including Amsterdam, Berlin, Eindhoven and Prague, followed by plans to connect with more distant destinations. The Tourism Association of the Canton of Sarajevo has been actively supporting this effort by offering incentives for new routes. Following its latest public call, several airlines have committed to launching new services to Bosnia and Herzegovina’s capital next year. These include Eurowings, which will introduce flights from Hamburg, Dusseldorf, and Hannover, as well as Swiss, which will commence operations from Geneva.